Like to start a ANH Han Solo costume - - Need Help

Weezer

Weezer

Well-Known Member
Hi there,

My 3 year old got bit "bad" by the Star Wars bug. We're thinking of doing a family Star Wars theme this Halloween. I think he'll be Luke, daughter Leia...

I was thinking of putting together a "budgeted" ANH Solo costume. I'd like something a lot better than a Rubies' costume, but nothing that will break the bank. I just want to have fun with the kids and still impress the adults. So I thought I'd ask around here and get started collecting things early, so I'm not force into buying a cheap Rubies costume in the 11th hour.

I already have a Rubies' Solo blaster (I found it a year ago in a bargain bin). I'll just customize it.

Any advice, vendor contacts, DIY tutorials or sewing patterns would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Weezer
 
This might be a costume I do for fairly cheap next year. I wonder if the rubber boots would cause your feet to sweat too much? Plus, I would think they wouldn't look quite right while walking as the rubber probably bends differently than how leather, or even pleather would.

I was thinking of picking up a costumebase costume off eBay and modifying it as need be...
 
On a budget, costumebase is your only option. With Solo there's bottom of the barrel (costumebase) and top of the line (Corellian Exports, Wade Egan belt, motor cowboy or other $300 plus boots). You can get really lucky with some ebay finds for boots and sort of similar pants or shirt and if you can sew, the Dawn Anderson pattern would be a good starting point for the jacket, but that's about it. The only way to do an SA Solo cheap is to be somewhat lucky and know how to sew and do leather work. How much is your budget and can you sew? I can try to point you in the right direction.
 
I haven't ever bought anything from him, price was too high at the time and his website is terrible. Licensing issues or not, I don't trust an "I'll email you my prices and very very tiny pictures and you can send me the money" system. Maybe if he had a proper store or at the very least had some decent pictures of his work I'd bite. He and my boss did some business though and I didn't hear of any issues.

That being said, as far as I know he's the only vendor out there other than costumebase for the soft parts.
 
I have purchased Costumebase stuff (ESB, not ANH), and IMO, it is sort of above-average Halloween grade. Not replica costume grade. But if you're on a budget, and don't have sewing skills yourself, you probably won't find better ready-made. Costumebase is one-stop shopping, except for the boots and the blaster.

The nice thing about Han is that to the untrained eye (most people), it is a pretty simple costume. Close-enoughs will work for the unwashed masses. But if you want to do it right, it's actually full of detail, and takes a lot to put together.

Use the search feature and look around here. Lots of people have posted lots of info about resources, and their personal efforts at putting a Han together.

Good luck.

RRR
 
Risu said:
That being said, as far as I know he's the only vendor out there other than costumebase for the soft parts.
Click to expand...

There a a few out there. Cosplayying on eBay makes decent pants. Their bloodstripes are really good.

Evavanecek209 make fantastic vests.

Marc Miller (ogibendogy) on here makes the best Solo rig hands down IMHO.

There are options out there.
 
Havok69 said:
Well, not everyone shares your opinion:

Corellian Exports - An Unhappy Customer

Rebel Legion :: View topic - Bad Experience with Corellian Exports

I haven't dealt with him, and maybe those are isolated incidents. Just wanted to warn the OP in case he goes that route. I know I'd like to know before I buy from someone...
Click to expand...

Well, I have to agree with unhappy customers. Though it didn't happen to me, it did happen to someone I reffered to CE (my mistake!)
He wanted an ESB Han Jacket but wanted it made out of wool. Vince told him to buy the material and he would charge him for labor (which I felt was VERY high) but because I recommended him, my buddy spent the cash and sent him some very high dollar wool, suiting material.
4 months later (yes, 4 MONTHS. It took many e-mails to even get it) it came and it was completely unwearable. One arm was shorter than the other, the arm widths were different from each other (one snug, one blousy). The jacket was way too short, the pocket on the arm was low on the forearm, unfinished seams...too many things to list.
When he expressed his dissatisfaction, Vince more or less said, "We did the best we could. No refunds. Stop harassing us." and that was the last he heard from them.
Personally, I wouldn't take anything from him if it was offered for free. :angry
Now to be fair, this happened about 7 years ago. Maybe he's gotten better but his customer service still looks to be lacking.
Sometimes a company :)lol) HAS to take a hit if they screw up. By saying "yeah, we screwed up but we have a no-return policy so...see ya!" will cause your customer to spread some bad press about you.
 
Sorry to hear that, Codpiece. I've dealt with Vince a couple of times with no issues and this is the first I've heard about anyone having issues with him. Still, 3 complaints in 10 years, and as you said, yours was 7 years ago. He seems to have gotten better.

But, back to the budget suit, the cosplayying pants look way better than costumebase. Plus, you can buy the pieces separately to get what you want. I think Rick summed it up quite nicely. The Chinese places are one stop shopping.

Wes
 
Jango Wes said:
There a a few out there. Cosplayying on eBay makes decent pants. Their bloodstripes are really good.

Evavanecek209 make fantastic vests.

Marc Miller (ogibendogy) on here makes the best Solo rig hands down IMHO.

There are options out there.
Click to expand...

I had never heard of the Evavanecek209 or Cosplayying sellers. Thanks for sharing that. Cosplayying looks a lot like Costumebase, although the bloodstripes are better - but ELASTIC in the pants waist?? Ew.

Interesting - the Evavanecek209 vest is missing the outer pocket on top of the upper right "half moon" pocket. The Cosplayying vest has it. Wonder if the $200 vest missing the pocket is really worth that much more than the $55 one that has it. The Evavanecek209 one certainly has a nice finish to it.

Anyone have first-hand experience with any of these?

Don't forget Magnoli for high-end soft parts, too, including the ever-elusive gloves.

RRR
 
rickrickrick said:
I had never heard of the Evavanecek209 or Cosplayying sellers. Thanks for sharing that. Cosplayying looks a lot like Costumebase, although the bloodstripes are better - but ELASTIC in the pants waist?? Ew.

Interesting - the Evavanecek209 vest is missing the outer pocket on top of the upper right "half moon" pocket. The Cosplayying vest has it. Wonder if the $200 vest missing the pocket is really worth that much more than the $55 one that has it. The Evavanecek209 one certainly has a nice finish to it.

Anyone have first-hand experience with any of these?

Don't forget Magnoli for high-end soft parts, too, including the ever-elusive gloves.

RRR
Click to expand...

Yeah, the elastic waist is a trade-off for better looking pants i guess, but it will be covered by the 3 hole belt.

Eva's vest does indeed have the pocket. Pic 3 and 5 show it pretty clearly. If im not mistaken, she has made jedi suits for several members here. She's a fan, and it seems to show in her work.

Wes
 
Thanks guys.

I guess my budget is more in the Cosplayying range. No more than $150-200 (stop laughing :)). Is that a fair budget to go on?

Don't get me wrong I have a lot of respect for Magnoli's high-end stuff. I admire his work, but I really can't break the bank on this.

My mother's a pretty good seamstress, but I really have to twist her arm to get her to work on this kind of stuff... although she seems to do it for everyone else????

She would probably be okay with tweaking a ready made costume, but to ask her to sew the whole thing would drive her over the edge.

I'm with rickrickrick... does anyone have any experience with the cosplayying and others (quality and Shipping)?

As for the boots. It's usually cold around here at Halloween, so hot rubber boots may work to my advantage. It's only for a few hours so I'm figuring my feet won't get too sweaty in there.

Thanks again guys and please keep the advice coming. I'm sure this thread could help a few other dads out there.
 
I'm the Han Solo costume judge at the rebel legion.



for your budget, you might want to modify a costumebase ensemble:

here's what needs to be done:

- their ANH vest is missing the rectangular pocket, on top of the moon pocket.
you can make one by harvesting fabric from the inside of the large rear pocket,
and attaching it with stitch witchery. (easy fix).

- the costumebase bloodstripes are ridiculous.
you can remove them and apply pre-embroidered strip from here Patches
(or find it on Ebay here http://cgi.ebay.com/Star-Wars-Han-Solo-Costume-Pants-side-stripes-Red-/120738000660 )

here is a quick tutorial with many pics to show you how to attach them, without dismantling the pants.
Rebel Legion :: View topic - modify your costumebase pants
it sounds like your mother could pull this off, no problem. this mod took me about 2 hours.
(new bloodstripes are a MUST for this ensemble -- if you do nothing else.. do the bloodstripes).

- the shirt is fine

- the gunbelt is missing a pouch, between the belt-buckle and the droid caller. for your purposes, this might not bother you.

- the holster-part of the gunbelt is very flimsy so it won't hold much weight.
(your rubies gun will be fine, but any gun made of metal will tear the holster apart).

also, for some reason, the holster-part of the gunbelt comes in two sizes: read the Ebay listing carefully and pay attention to the size of the holster-part you are ordering: for the rubies blaster you'll want the one that's 10 inches long (NOT the one that's 8 inches long). the rubies gun will NOT fit in the smaller holster.

note: the holster which they sell separately from the soft parts is the larger one;
the holster which sells with the soft parts, will be too small for your rubies gun.

- their off-ebay store is called Utopiabase
you can read about their han solo stuff at this link. (note the size of the 2 different holsters).

- DO NOT buy their droid caller. (!) it is junk. *

-==-

* best bang-for-buck droid caller is the one at Evolution toys
Evolution Props
it's made of metal. it takes a 9-volt battery, and its got a nifty little light in the end. (like a small flashlight).
be safe, be seen.

or .. get a resin copy like this for under $20
Star Wars -SCREEN ACCURATE- DROID CALLER (Kobold) PROP | eBay

either way, do NOT buy the one from costumebase. I can't stress this enough.

-==-

the rubber equestrian boots are hit-and-miss. some look like leather. some look like fireman boots.

of the two links that you posted above, the first would pass. the second would not.

either way, I always recommend getting 'military surplus' russian officer boots from ebay.
you'll pay between $60-100 for 'never worn' actual leather boots that look screen accurate.
(search various combinations of "russian", "military", "officer", "riding", boots")

also, for your purposes, the 'Funtasma Captain-100' boots in black would do just fine. you can get these pretty much anywhere, for about $50.
Funtasma Captain 100 - Free Shipping & Return Shipping - Shoebuy.com

-==-

for the 3-hole belt, try..

Belt Outlet
Toneka Three Hole Bridle Jean Belt

Cuff Watches.net
Leather Belts

..or search ebay for "3 hole belt"

-==========-

if you need more references/links/vendors , check the links in this thread.
Rebel Legion :: View topic - Han Solo Archive and Links
there are plenty to choose from





hope this all helps. :cool cheers!
 
Last edited:
Rick - I see what you were talking about and you're right, Eva doesn't have it.

Cobalt made some great recommendations for improving the look of your suit while still staying in your budget. If you get costume base, if nothing else, replace the bloodstripes.

Wes
 
Don't buy the blood stripes he recommended above, though. I have them and they're ok (not a perfect match to the CB pants fabric, but close enough) but I'm one of the lucky ones. That site is run by Joe Kerezman, you can read up on him all you like with the search feature. Avoid them. I'd say you should get the cosplayying pants, not the costumebase ones.
 
Yeah I think the cosplayying version might be good. The blood stripes are the ones people are saying are decent and the vest seems to have all the pockets. Or am I wrong on this?

Has anyone bought from cosplayying? Any warnings I should know about?
 
This thread is more than 12 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.

Similar threads

13doctorwho
Kenobi ANH Stunt(ish) Lightsaber
Replies
3
Views
834
13doctorwho
13doctorwho
Ryan Clinton
A New Hope Chewbacca Bowcaster
2
Replies
37
Views
2,784
teecrooz
teecrooz
Tm1986
HELP! Tie pilot helmet screen accurate silver markings color?
Replies
5
Views
178
Dogsbody2
D
thd9791
Toms custom Han Solo ANH blaster
Replies
4
Views
1,008
Halliwax
Halliwax
Vanitas
Build: Steel Field Marshall ANH DL-44
Replies
19
Views
1,611
szkoda1974
szkoda1974
Back
Top